


No Problem

by shadowolfhunter



Series: Daniel Espinoza and The Twin Archangels of Chaos [2]
Category: Lucifer (TV)
Genre: Archangels, Boyfriends, Hurt/Comfort, I may have watched The Last Witch Hunter and Dogma waaaay tooooo much, M/M, Twins, angels adjusting to earth, coming to terms with the existence of angels, little side project, running for one's life
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-14
Updated: 2018-11-02
Packaged: 2019-08-02 06:01:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,263
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16299506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shadowolfhunter/pseuds/shadowolfhunter
Summary: Dan Espinoza had a difficult relationship with the whole concept of God. Except that God is real. So are angels. Just when Dan figures out that he has a pretty good bead on things, his life becomes incredibly complicated.There are real, live, angels. Archangels, with wings and feathers, and issues... so many issues... and how is Dan supposed to hold down a job, look after his daughter and mediate between twins who might hate each other?When you're the ex-husband of a real live miracle, and your daughter is literally destined for great things, it's all in a day's work... Right?





	1. In the beginning there were demons

The other-worldly growl behind him made Dan grip the sword in his sweating hand and run faster. Mentally cursing his luck, Lucifer Morningstar, and his Nana. (Not that Nana, his maternal Nana, the frosty-faced grand dame who always seemed to look at him with disappointment).

Dan couldn’t quite believe this was his life now. Actual damn proof of the divine. Although he had apparently held that in his hand not so long ago and hadn’t gone insane. Or may be he had. His life had been perfectly ordinary and unremarkable until along came Lucifer Morningstar, who fell in love with his ex-wife. An apparently delusional night club owner with a sudden yen for Chloe Decker and a side interest in detective work.

_OH CRAP!_

Dan skidded to a halt.

The thing in front of him growled again. Dan’s palm was aching with the grip he had on the sword in his hand, he raised it, trying to still his knees from shaking he stood his ground.

It growled again. Dan tensed, about to thrust forward. 

SWOOSH!

The thing that landed in front of Dan, between him and the hideous demon creature that was turning Dan’s knees to jelly, was less a thing. More a giant pain in Daniel Espinoza’s ass.

Lucifer. The mighty Morningstar himself. The Pain in Dan’s Ass. The… Oh what the hell. Dan paused, even he had to admit that he was being more than a little unfair here.

The massive white wings were spread wide, from the tension he could see in the fallen archangel’s back and the tousled hair (Dan repressed a smirk), this was a seriously pissed off Lucifer.

The growl from Lucifer was terrifying, containing sub-harmonics that even the demon paused at. The wings came up, the long pinion feathers turning sharp and deadly looking as Lucifer snarled something in a language that Dan didn’t understand.

There was an infinitesimal pause, and the demon was stupid enough to answer back.

“YOU WILL KNEEL BEFORE ME!” Roared the Ex-Lord of Hell, then a blur of motion and Dan blinked. The demon was in two pieces on the ground.

There was a pause. Silence. Dan was unpleasantly aware that he could hear his own heartbeat.

Then a sizzle, and the two halves of the bifurcated demon disappeared. And that Dan was extremely grateful for. He really didn’t want to have to explain that to his superior officer.

There was a heavy-sounding sigh from the fallen archangel in front of him. “Really, Daniel.” Lucifer rolled his shoulders, the wings vanished to wherever they went when not obviously attached to Lucifer’s back, and his dishevelled what now… maybe boyfriend… turned round.

Dan pursed his lips, willed the sword in his hand into wherever it went when not in his hand, and stuffed the stumpy little handle into his inside jacket pocket. “What?” he said tersely, then hated himself for the hurt look on Lucifer’s face. “Your brother was very specific. This is my fight too, you know.”

A myriad of expressions crossed Lucifer’s face. The expressive dark eyes looked troubled, but somehow he managed to school his features into a semblance of apparent indifference.

Dan knew better. His fallen archangel was sensitive and quite easily ruffled, and none of this was helped by recent events.

Lucifer had been deeply in love with Chloe. Chloe was still fond of him, but coming to terms with the reality of who exactly Lucifer was had been a lot for her to process. In between Chloe finding out, and where they all were now, Lucifer had nearly died from complications of the wounds received in protecting Chloe from Marcus Pierce, who was Cain from the Bible. Immortal sinner who had somehow managed to become infinitely more dangerous in the millenia since becoming immortal as punishment for murdering his brother.

Dan was still trying to figure out what exactly the idea had been. Because from where he stood. Pretty dumb idea.

Anyway, Dan had found Lucifer, called in Ella, they’d both freaked out a little, and then set about helping Lucifer.

God’s idea of help was to send Michael.

The twin brother who had thrown Lucifer into hell.

Dan privately believed that Earth being between the two of them, and the “Silver City” being more than a couple of bus rides away… probably the best thing under the circumstances.

Fallen Archangel being somewhat volatile.

Not Fallen Archangel being a match in temper.

NOT GOOD.

Dan should know, he’d had to get between them about half a dozen times. So far.

Only Lucifer’s desire not to harm Dan had come between Dan and Dan becoming actual mincemeat.

Dan’s desire to help the man (not man) he had grudgingly started to care about… They felt the same.

In the weeks since Chloe had tried to come to terms with her new reality, Dan and Lucifer had grown closer, and some things had become clearer.

Culminating in a post-midnight visitation in Dan’s bedroom.

Metatron, the so-called Voice of God. Twin pairs of dark brown eyes rolled. Dan scowled. Now he could actually hear them in his head… in stereo.

Apparently, Chloe had been created, not for Lucifer, but for Dan. Her imperviousness to Lucifer’s gifts was in case they should be tempted, omniscience working overtime, Lucifer was supposed to meet Trixie. And be her guardian angel, one of them.

Dan had a gift. To be able to resist the divine. He’d done pretty well with Azrael’s blade, trouble is, he would also be drawn to it. Divinity. Drawn to Lucifer, which wasn’t divinity per se.

All of which was working out just fine, meaning they were ignoring these feelings, until the Angel of the Lord in Dan’s bedroom.

Just when he was coming to terms with dealing with the Twin Archangels of Brotherly Animosity.

And Sibling Rivalry.

His life had been so much easier when he was just a Catholic, Lapsed.

Apparently there was something that God wanted him to handle. He had a mission. And maybe something else. Maybe.


	2. Feather

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucifer gets hurt.
> 
> Dan tries to figure out why, breaks up yet another argument between siblings, and then does what he can for the man who just saved his life.
> 
> And where and how does Chloe fit in?
> 
> So many questions, so few actual answers.

“Luce got hurt today.” Dan watched his ex-wife closely, the emotions that played across her face.

“What happened?” She looked worried, and he took a little comfort from that, because while the Devil and his wife were talking, and working cases together, they had yet to regain their former intimacy, and that upset Lucifer, even though he tried very hard to pretend otherwise.

But the _what happened_ well, that was the tricky part.

Dan should have been on his own. It was a knock and talk, hardly dangerous, especially with someone who was barely considered a witness, but Lucifer had somehow managed to attach himself, and Dan was going to protest, but then the Devil had brought out the big guns.

The puppy dog eyes.

Daniel Espinoza was barely able to resist his daughter, resisting the Devil, especially that half-hurt, half-hopeful expression that Lucifer perpetually wore these days. Especially around Chloe. The more Dan thought about that… He slammed the door on that thought immediately.

Okay, yes.

Devil instantly happy and full of himself.

Everything went fine, until Dan knocked on the door and it opened under his quick rap. Admonishing Lucifer to stay behind him, as the tall man tried to push forward, Dan drew his weapon and stepped forward, identifying himself as he entered the house.

What happened next was something that Dan was still trying to piece together in his mind. The attack came from the right, as a large man slammed into Dan hard, throwing him up against the wall, he lost his grip on his weapon, and half-turned as he tried to get a grip on his crazed assailant, his brain registered the flash of a knife, and he threw up a defensive arm. A body slammed into his a second time.

There was a blur, and a jolt, Dan screwed his eyes shut, and then opened them wide, he finally caught up with what was going on. A pair of arms around his body, a warmth against his side, and a pair of pained brown eyes staring down into his, as Dan’s focus centred on the knife going through his partner’s shoulder.

Their attacker was flat out on the floor, as Dan collected himself sufficiently to gently pull away from Lucifer, and persuade the shaking fallen archangel to take a couple of wobbly steps to the nearest chair. Dan got a grip and called it in.

Lucifer’s wound was fairly shallow, going through just flesh, but it was a wound, made by a mortal knife. Mortal. Knife.

So many questions. But since Lucifer was shaken up by the incident, Dan decided he could hold off on questions. 

The hospital was loathe to let him go, but Lucifer signed himself out against medical advice, because of course he did, and Dan could scarcely refuse to drive him home after all that.

Expecting to be told to go, Dan was startled when Lucifer asked him to stay.

“Sure.” Mumbled Dan, pulling himself together, “look, I really need a few things,” Lucifer looked like he wanted to protest, but nodded. Promising to be back, Dan called Linda, because Lucifer’s therapist, and friend, Dan waited until she got there. Promised again to be right back, and drove straight to Chloe.

Because Luce was her partner, and surely,… Surely, Dan didn’t even know exactly what he was looking for here. Surely, after all this time, and…

Chloe was looking at him. “Lucifer is a good guy.” Dan watched her face closely.

“I know.” she said. “But...”

Dan did not want to hear that. “I gotta go.” He eyed his ex-wife. “I promised.”

Chloe looked torn, as though she desperately wanted to go, but that something was holding her back.

Dan nodded. He could see her struggle. He just couldn’t leave the man… Devil… Archangel… who had just saved his life, hanging.

 

He could hear the shouting before the elevator doors opened, depositing him into Lucifer’s loft. His injured buddy was backed against the bar, Linda standing between Lucifer and Amenadiel. Her hands were up as if to placate the combatants. 

The snarl on Lucifer’s face a mixture of anger and hurt. Deep hurt.

“What’s going on?”

“If only you would just be reasonable, brother.” Amenadiel was holding out his hand, a small grey-brown feather clutched in his huge fist.

“And I told you, never gonna happen.” Lucifer turned away, while Linda turned to her patient, “But Lucifer if he can heal your shoulder.”

“He can.” Lucifer’s voice was cold, but Dan could hear the hurt and tension in his voice.

“So why don’t you let him...” Linda sounded perfectly reasonable, but Dan could see that it wasn’t going to happen, there was a rigidity to Lucifer’s posture and a tension to his body that Dan could clearly read.

“No.” the fallen archangel snapped, and dropping his glass on the polished counter he stalked away towards his bedroom.

“If you would just see reason.” Amenadiel made as if to follow, but Dan got there in between him and Lucifer’s doorway.

“He said No.” Dan put up a hand. Amenadiel shook his head, Dan looked him in the eye, “I’m guessing you want to use that to heal his wound.” He nodded towards the feather.

Amenadiel managed to look both smugly self-righteous and incredibly pleased with himself.

“Get him to see reason.” He said.

Dan snorted. “No. His choice. And you are not going to do anything against his will, okay?” He fixed the dark-skinned angel with a glare, which Amenadiel had the grace to look sheepish at. Dan turned to Linda, “hey, thanks for staying with him for me.” He nodded in Amenadiel’s direction, and Linda looked a little sheepish herself. Dan figured that she wanted the best for Lucifer, but from what little Dan had seen of the interactions between Lucifer and the two brothers he was aware of, this one was clearly doomed to failure.

While Linda ushered a grumbling Amenadiel in the direction of the elevator, Dan took the opportunity to help himself to a beer from the fridge, and then steeled himself to go looking for the temperamental fallen archangel who had just saved his life, very possibly.

He found Lucifer in the closet, trying to relieve himself of his ripped, wrecked shirt. One handed nearly impossible, and from the pain on the tall man’s face, removing his arm from the sling he’d been given, unwise at best.

“Hey.” Dan smiled softly at his friend, his maybe something more. Whatever this was, Lucifer had put himself in harm’s way, for Dan. He was wounded, and Dan was wondering about that. Supposed to be immortal. Invulnerable to harm. But Dan had the sense to back off, whatever was going on, they were not going to deal with it now.

Lucifer looked tired, as though the weight of the world was on his shoulders, and Dan stepped forward to help.

Task accomplished in near silence, Dan helped Lucifer get comfortable, and then turned to make his way out to the couch. Lucifer’s good hand shot out, but the grasp on his wrist was gentle, almost as if Lucifer was afraid to drive Dan away. “Stay. Please.” The subdued tone, the questioning inflection in that word, please, Dan was not going to deny the man what he wanted.

He wasn’t about to think about that one too hard, either.

He went to grab his bag, and then helped himself to Lucifer’s enormous, perfect, walk in shower, dried himself, put on sleep pants and returned to the bedroom. 

Lucifer was hunched down in the bed, long legs stretched out, pillows clumped behind, as though he was trying to rest his injured shoulder, but wasn’t sure how to actually be comfortable. _Almost as though he had never been wounded before_.

Well, not like this.

Without overthinking it, Dan slid into bed next to the tall man, easing himself close to Lucifer, he gently pulled the fallen archangel until he was resting against Dan, without putting pressure on the injured shoulder. Hands free, Dan began to shift and rearrange the pillows so that they both could get some rest.

Still leaning into the Devil’s side, because Lucifer seemed to need the contact, Dan eased back and made himself comfortable, while Lucifer slowly relaxed, cheek resting against Dan’s shoulder. Soon falling into sleep, while Dan contemplated the new mysteries of his universe, a fallen archangel with issues, and injuries, one very pompous brother, one… and here Dan hesitated, uncertain how to exactly categorise Michael… and of course Chloe, herself.

And that was the conundrum. Chloe had appeared to forgive Lucifer for being the Devil, and their partnership had returned. But only their partnership.

Luce clearly wanted more.

But then, he also appeared to want more with Dan. Which Dan found that he wanted to, but not at the expense of coming between whatever Luce had with Chloe. If he even had anything with Chloe.

Then there was the hideous gash in Lucifer’s shoulder, the reason it was there, how come it actually came into being, how it wasn’t healing the way Luce apparently healed, and the issues with Amenadiel and the feather of overbearing pompousness.

Dan snorted. He settled himself, eased the sleeping fallen archangel a little more comfortably into his arms, and dropped off to sleep himself. All of that was going to have to wait for another day.


	3. Security Blanket

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dan is struggling, so is Lucifer but he takes notice of Dan.
> 
> Chloe is still undecided, and Ella is witness to a primal shift.

Dan looked down at the file in his hands and tried to still his trembling fingers. She had been so pretty, and she reminded him of Charlotte.

A strong hand landed on his shoulder and squeezed, a gentle comforting squeeze, for a brief instant, the long, lean body pressed against Dan’s back. Dan nodded, accepting the gesture for exactly what it was, nothing sexual, but pure kindness and Lucifer continued on his way to Chloe’s desk as though nothing had happened.

Dan got his head back into the game. Glanced around the room to see if anyone had even noticed his mini near breakdown. The irony was not lost on him when it was clear that none of his fellow officers had seen a thing. And they call the Devil uncaring.

For the rest of the afternoon, Dan concentrated as hard on maintaining his composure as he did sorting through the evidence, and the things that he needed to do to advance the investigation to the prosecution stage. Paperwork, boring but essential and Dan was not going to let their scumbag skate on an improperly filed piece of paper. So deep in his task that when he looked up again, it was twenty minutes past shift end, and he was almost alone in the bull pen.

Packing up for the day, he thought about the journey home, and knew that this night would be no different than the last fifteen or so. He would wind up with Lucifer at Lux.

Chloe and Lucifer were still not in sync. The Devil was trying his hardest to be the partner Chloe wanted, but she was still struggling with processing the truth, and was still to let him closer than working together out of the precinct.

Lucifer was still struggling to process everything related to how Chloe had seen his face. His wings were still bedraggled, and away from the precinct Lucifer was still sad. Most unlike his usual ebullient self.

Dan was still processing Charlotte’s death, and how he felt about everything, and somehow, being around the Devil helped. Most nights they would fall asleep on the couch, side by side, sometimes even curled together in Lucifer’s enormous bed. There was nothing sexual about their touches, just pure comfort in knowing the other was there.

 

Dan was fond of Ella. Especially as Trixie loved her, and Ella was able to relate to Trixie in ways that bemused Dan slightly. He wanted his daughter to be happy and safe. Once or twice, Ella had even picked Trixie up after school when Dan was down to a deadline on a case, and it was his weekend.

 

Ella watched Trixie, who watched the twins. At this point Ella knew that she would never be able to publish anything about her observations on Angels, Archangels – Elite subspecies of, but watching Lucifer and Michael became quite addictive. Trying to interpret the human world for the Archangel Michael was almost a full time job in itself, and especially Michael’s confusion over Lucifer’s relationships with the humans who were definitely in his life.

Ella and Lucifer, special friend zone, dare she say honorary brother zone. He cared for her. She knew that. Dr Linda, therapist and friend. Maze… demon. (Okay explaining that to Michael almost lead to a smack down, and Ella couldn’t honestly say who she thought would win, because Michael, Warrior Angel…. But Maze, Lilim and truly sneaky fighter. Ella was crossing her fingers on that one!)

Chloe… well Lucifer was clearly still breaking his heart over Chloe. She was struggling with who he was, and he was struggling with giving her the space she needed. When all he wanted to do was cling close and never let her go.

Which was where Dan came in. And Lucifer and Dan… well Ella really didn’t know exactly what to think.

They were close. That was clearly established when they both thought they would going to lose Lucifer to his injuries from the fight with Pierce. Ella cocked her head and cast an eye skywards, dude, make the man immortal, really not cool, he found a way to punish all of us.

She hadn’t lost her faith exactly, but knowing something is really real, is rather different to believing it is without proof.

Then there was Michael. The Archangel, the powerful warrior who showed up in response to Dan’s prayer for Lucifer’s life. Ella might be a true science nerd, but she was not immune to Michael’s interest, nor was she unaware that his interest extended past simple fascination.

She just wasn’t sure she was ever going to be ready for that. She’d made a decision to pursue a life of the mind, rather than a more physical and worldly life when she was struggling with her faith and the kind of Christian she wanted to be. So far, she was perfectly happy and satisfied with that. Relationships were too complicated, she wasn’t ready to have that in her life.

But an Archangel? Was that even possible? An immortal, supernatural being… with wings… was interested in her. Well that left her head in a spin.

Back to Lucifer and Dan. They were both struggling with emotions and experiences that were draining and distressing, yet somehow they found strength in each other.

It was the day of the blanket fort that decided Ella.

 

She had picked up Trixie from school for Dan, because Dan and Chloe were still on paperwork for a case, and it needed to get done. And Lucifer had invited himself to the paper pity party, until Chloe was ready to kill him (judging from her narrow-eyed stare) and Dan had intervened, then Ella had invited him to join her and Trixie in some popcorn, and movies, and the world-weary Devil, bearing an air of ennuie, as though he was far too cool for all that had agreed.

Which is why Ella was in her kitchen, and Trixie was in her living room instructing the twin Archangels of Chaos in how to properly erect a blanket fort.

 _Focus, Ella…._ Ella turned her gaze back to her pan, as the corn popped, and the various hand made toppings she had arranged in selection of small bowls sat waiting on the side, because mental images of twin 6’3” archangels crawling around the floor doing a ten year old’s bidding were a little less discombobulating than the reality.

At least while they were crawling around on their hands and knees following the orders of a child, they weren’t engaged in sniping and possibly even fighting each other.

That had apparently died down. Perhaps. Maybe.

Good thing too. Ella remembered the raw power on both sides, where she had to help Dan intervene. That was scary. She would rather not go through that again.

They were about halfway into Mulan, the popcorn mostly gone, Ella and Trixie strategically placed in the middle, with Michael next to Ella and Trixie leaning against Lucifer, when the door bell went and Ella went to answer it.

Dan looked tired, but perked up a little at the sight of Trixie next to Lucifer. She stepped back to allow him into the apartment, “thank you,” he said, shedding his jacket.

“No biggie,” Ella whispered back, “Trixie’s been great.” She indicated for him to join them, and slipped back into her place, noting that Dan slid in next to Lucifer, acknowledging his daughter’s presence on the other side of Lucifer. Ella hadn’t noticed the interaction between the Devil and the Detective, but they seemed comfortable.

Mulan saved the Captain, and was exposed as a woman before Ella looked across to realise that both Dan and Lucifer had fallen asleep, snuggling up against each other, Lucifer had turned over, and Trixie was now leaning up against Ella.

Ella glanced down at the child, Trixie’s grin spoke volumes. She obviously had no issues with her father and her favourite Devil being close together like that. A thousand questions invaded Ella’s mind, but now was not the time, or the person, to ask.

It did look rather like they were there for the night, although Ella’s attention was drawn back to the film, as Mulan fought to save her Captain, her Emperor and China, Ella found herself torn between the question on the screen, and the question in Lucifer and Dan’s hearts.

She knew that Lucifer still loved Chloe, but that with each passing day, the stiffness in Chloe’s responses to him, saddened and depressed the former Ruler of Hell. He kept waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Dan was mourning Charlotte. Ella could sometimes be obtuse, but she wasn’t a fool, she had to wonder where this one was heading, because it seemed as though they were half in love with each other.

Dan curled around the heat next to him, unconsciously seeking Lucifer’s warmth, sliding an arm around the fallen Archangel’s waist, Lucifer hummed a little, nudging back into the curiously comforting grasp that held him close but not too tight. 

 

Somewhere out in the universe, an angel frowned in confusion, surely it was not meant to be so, but this was humanity, free will was paramount, and this one was a curiously apt choice.

“I’m glad you think so.”

The angel frowned again, it was hardly a voice, more a suggestion. He didn’t question. He knew what he needed to do, and if the human was deemed worthy, he was the chosen.

A miracle, a chosen one, and two archangels, the flip sides of the coin. The chosen would need to be strong, and to care. And he did. He just didn’t really know it yet.

 

Michael had drifted off somewhere, Ella wasn’t really sure where he went. She wondered if he slept somewhere like a bird, or if he was more like a human. She still had so many questions. Trixie had Ella’s spare bed, a good thing she had her case for her weekend with her father, and in Ella’s very small living room, two beings slumbered in perfect harmony in a nest of cushions, surrounded by blankets.

Apparently all was right with the world.


End file.
